Seattle Puget Sound Clean Up Crew In Action

Operating their cranes like a quarter dropping arcade addicts, these Puget Sound creosote cleanup committees have their work cut out for them.

The toxic wood preservative used on treated pilings, containing more than 300 chemicals, leaches contaminates into the sound and beaches for the duration of a treated logs life. And that can be a very long time!

Retrieving the treated wood assists all marine life including salmon, herring, Orca whales, Harbor seals, and many species of birds, who have been documented to suffer from effects of creosote. To date, thousands of tons of derelict pilings and beach debris have been removed from Puget Sound shorelines, as new and non toxic treated pilings have replaced the menacing creosote treated wood to ensure a safer environment for all of us!

Our first encounter with creosote was on a piece of property we were selling in Beverly Hills. Because part of it had railroad track for the defunct tram system, we learned that the wooden parts of the tracks had creosote in them, which necessitate soil cleanup. It is amazing how people used chemicals without thinking of the long term effects on nature. Good for Seattle for cleaning it up. Have a great week. A

Good afternoon, Judi. After years of dumping toxic wastes into our oceans and environment, man is finally starting to realize that we need to clean up our act or we too will go the way of the dinosaur...

Wow, this is something that I would never have thought of, but now that you've blogged about it, I can see the issue. I bet there's millions of tons of those all over the continent. I'm glad to see that work is being done to remedy this.

Hi Kim~ i think we are seeing huge improvements on how we deal with detoxifying our planet!

Hi A~ We have come a long way. It is actually amazing what we know now compared to what we didn't know, even fifty years ago!...

Hi Michael~ I agree! I would prefer to see mankind evolve, rather than disappear!

Hi Malcolm~Creosote posts washing up on beaches cause another significant problem by leaching chemicals into the earth. Also, many folks unknowingly discharge chemicals into the air by using these posts for beach bonfires!

Hi janeAnne~ I love researching the things I see going on in Seattle! I am learning something new every day as well!

Hi Q~ Every day we get closer to a cleaner planet. That is unless an oil tanker leaks!...

Hi Chris~ All of our knowledge will bring us together. There comes a point when you just can't ignore the facts!

I really appreciate this post and the great information about the clean up efforts. Again, Seattle leads the way in environmentally responsible activities. Glad to hear there's a replacement for creosote. It's nasty stuff.

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